Generally, the use of a drilling machine to drill holes in a workpiece is old. However, the present invention is directed to an improved drilling machine to insure that the drilling forces are applied axially through the drill so as to drill a straight hole instead of applying off-center forces to the drill which tend to cause the drill bit to deflect and drill unstraight or non-axial holes. In addition, in the past, excessive drilling forces have been applied, particularly when the drill is dull, which results in breaking the drill and/or damaging the workpiece and drilling machine. Another improvement of the drilling machine of the present invention is the provision of a control system for applying fluid to piston and cylinder assemblies which in turn apply all of the drilling forces to the drill tool. The system includes means for monitoring the fluid pressure to provide an indication and/or means for stopping drilling when the pressure applied to the piston and cylinder assemblies reaches a predetermined value.